Discovery Hills Park - #DiscoveryHillsPark

Socal - San Diego County - San Marcos NickNames: #DiscoveryHillsPark

From San Diego- 15N to 78W to San Marcos Blvd go left, to Bent Rd. go left, continue straight to Discovery Hills(Housing Complex) go right. Follow to the top of hill parking in the Park's parking lot. Trail starts at the top of cement walkway on right side. Thomas Guide page 1128

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Trail UpdateNO TO GOLF COURSE!!-If any of you reading this are as sick of trail closures as I am, call the Friends of San Marcos Parks and Trails at 760-744-9000 ext 3505 and get involved.

Just discovered that there are plans for a 150 acre golf course to be built right on top of Double-Peak ridge. Most of the ridge trails have already been "dozed" in anticipation. This is the fourth loss of excellent hiking/biking singletrack to a golf course in SD.

Trail UpdateDiscovery Hills, 6-14-03-I guess the reviews below have scared everyone away. I was the only guy out there!!! I started at the lake and rode up the paved trail to the neighborhood. Once at the neighborhood, dont follow it where you are riding behind peoples backyard - that trail goes back down to more neighborhoods. Instead take the paved road straight onto the new neighborhood street. Bear right up the hill and you will see where the decomposed granite trail starts up again. More climbing until the road becomes singletrack. The singletrack is starting to get overgrown so we need more of you out there to knock down some of the brush. Keep taking singletrack up the hill. See the review below (12/02)? Those guys took a right onto the jeep road. I went left to the area that does look like someones backyard. As you follow this PUBLIC road, youll come to a split, go left and ride around the bachelors pad. Wave to those guys - there cool and leave you alone. Take the dirt road to the right before the road becomes paved. Follow this up the mountain to the radar dish. At the top, take the road to the right and that will take you to the top of the mountain with a single antenna. At the top of that mounatin, come back down about 700 feet and youll see a small brokenup trail to the left. It is steep and staight down. I met a hiker there who tells me that its about 2.5 miles to Elfin Forest on that trail. I have not done it but I will soon. If anyone wants to explore it, let me know. I cant believe I was the only guy out there today...Ride rating: AdvancedRide distance: 12 miles Elevation change: alotSingletrack=5% Paved Path=5% Truck Trail=90% tj a 31 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a giant nrs-1 from oceanside, ca

Posted:06/14/2003

Trail UpdateDiscovery Hills, 12-21-02-My friends and i went up there today while it was raining. We were able to get about 9 miles in without going on the same trails to much. Start at the lake at the bottom and skip the trail detour(waste of time) and take the paved road up through the construction and to the start of the 10' wide decomposed granite trail, and ride up there. When you reach the post in the ground that points to double peak, dont take it yet, instead stay on the road until it ends and turns into another single track, and take it until you reach the jeep road. Once there, go right(going left gets you into someones backyard, and you never know who has a shotgun and likes to shoot at people or not!) until yo come to a junction where there are two trails and five jeep roads and a sign that says trail closed. There is one trail that goes almost straight(which i havent been on)and the other goes to the right of that. Take this one. go until it splits either direction and take the right one. it goes back down the jeep road. From there you xcan go back and start the double peaks trail. Once onto the jeep road from the double peakes trail, we went to the right towards the lower radio tower. We headed to that and about a mile before it, there is a lot of single tracks that weave around on top the ridge, and you can find those for yourself. I think this is one of the better places to ride in this area, specially on a nice, wet, cold and rainy day like today.Ride rating: IntermediateRide distance: 8.85 Elevation change: 1400-2000ftSingletrack=83% Dirt Road=6% Paved Path=8% Truck Trail=3% Brenden Phillips a 16 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Cannondale Jekyll 3000 from Carlsbad, CA, America

Posted:12/21/2002

Trail UpdateWhere's The Disco?-The only update on this trail is all the new houses.there are still several trails to explore. a good ride is up the main trail (now a fenced road) and keep following any single track to the left. you can make you way around the back side of double peak and take the ridges over to the radio towers. take your time and have fun.if need more go across the valley to the "P" and climb around those ridges. there are also some fun downhills over there. Tony a 34 year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a marin from san marco

Posted:10/02/2002

Trail UpdateA New Twist........-Anyone else who is riding this, please post a report. It seems I'm the only one updating it.

Through all of the development madness, I have found a alternate route that actually uses more singletrack. Most of it is at the end, and only lasts a couple of minutes, but it is a nice alternative to climbing up that lame paved road.Take the entrance down off of Via Vera Cruz and I think the road is Cima or maybe the street after it on the left. (It is the dirt trail that hooks up to the trail network.)Climb it all the way up, you know the route up to the old abandoned house or double peak. Turn around and come down the same way and after you pass all of the new bulldozing, almost to the end where you started, look to the right and you'll see a small singletrack that starts to climb a bit. It traverses the hill, and then meets up with a steep little hidden single track that dices down through the sagebrush. It is slightly overgrown (due to no traffic) and makes it a little hairy at faster speeds. Bumpy, turny, quick and blind, but can be ridden fast.Try it, you'll like it.Oh yeah, keep it in the big ring!

Trail UpdateDevelopment Hills....R.I.P.-I have been trying to swallow what has happened up there. It used to be a great little ride, and now has turned into a visual eyesore that has taken away some of the fun sections. Never thought it would happen.It also look as if they will be continuing the excavation. There are lots of flourescent tagging up each hillside along the first part of the single track that is left. It too will be gone soon. Some people are still riding it and cutting thier own trail across the barren hillside. Does anyone think that we can develop our own around here? How realistic is it to cut some of our own trail to make up for what they have done?

Anyway, I'm up for suggestions and would also like someone to give me other alternatives to this ride. Preferably ones that are close to my San Marcos home.Thanks.

Trail UpdateDisco Hill=Development Hill-I was up Discovery Hills yesterday. And I do not know what they are building but look out. Earth movers have destroyed the area west of the water tank. However, the first short single track is still there and the track up the rest of the hill. But what a sad sight it is. Hard to believe what I saw yesterday. The second single track west now goes about a 1/4 mile and ends in mass destruction. I also was ejected off my recreational trek 820 yesterday, my speed was around 13 mph on the first single track. I was flying thru the air, and my right wrist now is sprained and you would not believe the left side of my body, total bloody mess. I'll ride again tomorrow, weather permiting.

Ride rating: BeginnerPatrick a 37 year old Die-hard Enthusiast riding a trek 820 from Vista, CA

Posted:08/29/2000

Trail UpdateGolf Course?-Yesterday's North County Times was reporting that there is a proposal to build a golf course on top of Discovery - from Double Peak to the microwave tower. Doesn't sound good to me....lauren a 30 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a joshua f4 from san marcos

Posted:08/02/2000

Trail UpdateRock Garden-First, an update on the directions to the trailhead written above. The intersection of Buckhorn and Foxhall in San Marcos is at the driveway to the parking lot. I also started the trail at the old trailhead at the west side of the lake, not at the top of the asphalt trail at the top of the hill. Either way will get you into the trail network.

The ruts that were mentioned in previous posts are there, but people have made single track detours around them, so it isn't so bad. After the first steep hill, the trails are fairly level, with lots of good technical rocks to negotiate. Once you get to about 3/4 of the way up the mountain, the "Double Peaks Trail" sign appears at a fork in the road. Both routes return you to the same place. The fork to the right (west) has a section of huge boulders which I had to walk over twice. Several ways to the bottom, including the way you came up, and the rocky DH by the water tank (I walked this also). The construction on the backside of the mountain has created some dirt roads now used by 4X4s (I ran into three coming up). But that is only near the top by the old house. Great trail, great workout, lots of techy sections. Have fun, be careful!Ride rating: IntermediateRide distance: 5 miles Elevation change: +/- 1000Singletrack=90% Dirt Road=10% ATPMatt a 26 year old Weekend Warrior riding a pair of sore legs, and a BIG smile from San Marcos,CA

Posted:07/25/2000

Trail UpdateDISCO Hills-Finally got to get out there after the rains. Did a quick half hour spin before dark on the lower section. The off cambers had perfect wheel grabbing ruts. Not too deep, but enough to keep you on your toes. If you're smoking the DH, look WAY forward and you'll have no trouble. Plenty of places to get through em'. There was also a good amount of loose shale and rock from the runoff. Makes it exciting.Overall: Nice and tacky and fast.If anyone rides the upper "way up" part of this trail please post a report. I have a feeling it is more rutted due to the steepness. Should make it fun and even more technical.BTW, I am still looking for a responsible Dhiller in North County to do some shuttle runs with on the weekend. Preferable within 1 hour driving distance. Once again, I have put in days of trail maintenance, and know how to use my brakes. I am courteous to upcoming traffic and other trail users so please do not reply with "buy a dirt bike" or "climb like the rest of us". I do both.Thanks.Ride rating: IntermediateSingletrack=30% Dirt Road=30% Paved Path=30% Truck Trail=10% Briscoe a 30 year old Weekend Warrior riding a Foes Slammer DH/ DBR V-link from San Marcos

Posted:03/17/2000

Trail UpdateLots Of Technical Trails....-This is a short sweet ride with quite a bit of technical single and double track. Rode there on 10-6-99...Trail is very dry and rutted but overall in pretty good shape. I was told by someone that this ride could be connected to Elfin Forest by going down the back side of the big hill. Im wondering if this is true so If anyone has any info, please let me know...Ride rating: IntermediateRide distance: 6 miles Elevation change: Singletrack=75% Dirt Road=25% Mike Abel a 29 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Haro Extreme from Vista, Ca

Posted:10/06/1999

Trail UpdateLittle Dusty, Rocky And Rutted-Dusted off my DBR V-link and headed out. Fun climbing as it is not as steep as I thought. Nice tight singletrack with some semi-fast sections. Don't think I did the whole ride and would love to see a topo map of the area. The trail conditions are fair, with exposed "softball-sized" rocks and some ruts from earlier spring rains, maybe even old ruts. If anyone else rides this trail please let me know of the rest of it. Any downhill-only possibilities? A car shuttle? Just looking for somewhere to ride my 40lb DH rig.Thanks.Ride rating: IntermediateRide distance: 5 miles Elevation change: Singletrack=90% Paved Path=5% Truck Trail=5% Jamie a 29 year old Downhiller riding a Foes Slammer DH from San Marcos, CA

Posted:09/12/1999

Trail UpdateVermin-New to the area and found this ride on this site and love it. Great quicky! Love the rough stuff. The climb is just steep enough to hurt a little and the downhill is nice and fun, just watch out for dog shit! I am looking for new stuff to ride downhills are preffered but I will climb if I have to. Singletrack=95% Brent Z a 27 year old Downhiller riding a KARPIEL VRS from Utah

Posted:03/02/1999

Trail UpdateI was on it today 29Dec97. Very ROCKY ride (bring spare tube for sure). A few washed out spots, be careful. A few tricky cliff hangers, be prepared for sudden stops. Very light pedestrian and no equestrian traffic, however, I did run into a few slow riders who seemed to think they need not let me pass (so i kinda made my own trail around them ) Scenic, but kinda boring at times. The rocks on the trail make this ride slow. Tho its a short 5.3 miles, its worth it if you looking for a workout. Singletrack=95% Paved Path=5% Michael Buckingham a 31 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Myata 2000 from Camp Pendleton, CA